Larkyn Dasch: 'There is nothing Loureda can throw at me I haven’t seen before'

Read Time:3 Minute, 33 Second

Larkyn Dasch has been making headlines after signing her bout agreement for Bellator 222 in a Hooters uniform.

Dasch (0-1 MMA) will take on Valerie Loureda (1-0 MMA) inside Madison Square Garden on one of the most stacked promotional cards of the year. Although Loureda has much hype behind her, Dasch did not know who she was before signing the dotted line. “There’s nothing that I’m afraid of. I’ve trained for harder people. I’ve been through war, I know what war is like,” said Dasch.

Prepping for a last minute opponent, Larkyn did her research, and is confident she will surprise many come Friday night.

Even though the bout agreement was signed a week before the event, Dasch was on fight weight and knew she couldn’t pass up on the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s never ideal to take a fight with only a weeks notice, however, Larkyn was prepping for a previous fight, so fine tuning her game-plan has been the focus for her Bellator debut.

Once the fight was booked, Dasch’s photo in her Hooters outfit went viral. Headlines began associating the fight as gimmicky due to her waitressing background. Needless to say, Dasch is not the fighter Loureda should take lightly. Both women are early in their mixed martial arts careers, so not only does having more amateur MMA experience play in Larkyn’s favor, it highlights an interesting factor when determining potential outcomes of the fight.

“Tapology says I’m 4-3 as an amateur. Before Michigan was stationed, I actually had two more fights. I have a 9 fight amateur career with two wins not on there.”

Elbows and knees were legal in Michigan, so the playing field was different for Larkyn during her come up. Even if her record doesn’t show it, Dasch is both durable and true fighter- taking multiple fights a year in different weight classes, never being finished in her career.

Coming off a decision loss to Christina Ricker, Dasch knows her abilities, even if the world is doubting her. “Loureda is going to have to pull something that I have never seen before if she wants to win and I don’t know if she can,” said Dasch. “I’m ready, there is nothing she [Loureda] can throw at me that I haven’t seen before.” Having only decision losses on her resume, Dasch does not lack the confidence needed to derail a hype train.

“She can’t knock me out. I don’t think she has the ability to.”

Dasch may have signed her fight contract on the clock during a Hooters shift, but she’s more than that. Not only is she a former race car driver, she’s an entrepreneur, radio personality, ring girl, and only one semester away from graduating with her degree. Prior to starting MMA, Larkyn pursed her business degree. Today, it’s on hold as she chases her dream of fighting professionally.

Even if headlines paint Larkyn as a Hooters waitress, she’s okay with it. “When you’re training all day every day, it’s nice to be able to do something social that is social and fun,” said Dasch. “It stabilizes out my life.”

Regardless of the fight’s outcome, Larkyn knows this is her final fight at flyweight. Starting her career and seeing much success at 115-pounds, Dasch no longer foresees taking another fight at 125 pounds after Loureda.

As for her Bellator debut, Larkyn intends on finishing Loureda via knockout when they meet. “I’m confident I will be in there giving her something she has never seen before,” said Dasch.

Not normally one for bold predictions, Dasch is confident in her abilities to get the job done.

Watch the Hooters waitress you have been hearing about all week this weekend on DAZN for Bellator 222.

Listen to our full interview with Larkyn Dasch, on The Scrap’s official SoundCloud:

____
Make sure to follow The Scrap News (@thescrapnews) on Twitter.
Joel Torres is a co-owner of The Scrap and its current CEO. Torres is obsessed with MMA and holds a Masters of Science in Integrated Design, Business and Technology from University of Southern California. Make sure to follow Joel on Twitter (@joelisacoolkid).

About Post Author

Joey Torres

Joey Torres is a Co-Founder of The Scrap, and a dedicated storyteller with a passion for Pro Wrestling and Combat Sports. With a Master of Science in Integrated Design, Business & Technology from the University of Southern California, Joey combines creativity and branding to bring compelling stories to life while bringing refreshingly original content to the world of sports media.

thescrapnews@gmail.com